BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 1268

By: Murphy

Public Education

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

School districts currently have the authority to apply additional points to a student's final grade for honors and advanced placement courses, meaning these courses have an enhanced weight when computing a student's grade point average. Dual credit courses do not receive this enhanced weight. Interested parties contend that providing enhanced weight for a dual credit course would provide a student further incentive to take dual credit courses, reduce college costs due to courses already completed in high school, and improve the transition from high school to higher education. C.S.H.B. 1268 seeks to remedy this situation by providing, among other provisions, that the same weight be applied to dual credit courses, with the exception of dual credit physical education courses.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 1268 amends the Education Code to require a school district that computes a student's high school grade point average in a manner that provides for additional weight to be given to any honors course, advanced placement course, or dual credit course other than a physical education course completed by a student to provide for the same weight to be given to all of those courses completed by the student. The bill adds a temporary provision, set to expire September 1, 2015, to make this requirement applicable only to students entering grade nine during or after the 2011-2012 school year and requires a standard method of computing a student's high school grade point average developed by the commissioner of education to be consistent with this requirement. The bill authorizes a school district to provide that additional weight is given to a course other than such courses, but prohibits a district from providing additional weight for a dual credit physical education course. The bill requires a student's grade point average computed in the manner provided by the bill and any additional weight determined by a school district as provided by the bill to be used in determining the student's eligibility for automatic college admission. The bill removes the method of computing a student's grade point average for purposes of determining eligibility for automatic college admission from the purview of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board's rulemaking authority.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2011.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE

C.S.H.B. 1268 differs from the original by including statutory language allowing a standard method of computing a student's high school grade point average to provide additional weight to an international baccalaureate course, whereas the original removes that statutory language.

C.S.H.B. 1268 contains a specification not included in the original excluding a dual credit physical education course from the courses to which a school district that computes a student's high school grade point average in a manner that provides for additional weight to be given to certain courses upon completion is required to provide for the same weight to be given.

C.S.H.B. 1268 contains a provision not included in the original authorizing a school district to provide that additional weight is given to a course other than certain courses specified by the bill's provisions and prohibiting a district from providing additional weight for a dual credit physical education course. The substitute contains a requirement not included in the original that such additional weight as determined by a school district be used in determining a student's eligibility for automatic college admission.